Australia has reinvigorated their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign with an impressive five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in a thrilling match in Lucknow on Monday.
This victory comes as a breath of fresh air after Australia’s winless start in the tournament’s first two matches. The five-time World Cup champions displayed significant improvement as they successfully chased down Sri Lanka’s modest total of 209 with over 14 overs to spare.
The Sri Lankan openers, Kusal Perera (78) and Pathum Nissanka (61), appeared to be setting the stage for a substantial total with a 125-run partnership for the opening wicket.
However, Australia’s bowlers, led by Adam Zampa (4/25), Mitchell Starc (2/43), and Pat Cummins (2/32), backed by solid fielding, managed to restrict the Asian side in the later stages of their innings.
Pacer Dilshan Madushanka (3/38) momentarily threatened Australia’s chase by dismissing experienced duo David Warner and Steve Smith with a superb double-wicket maiden early on.
But the fifties from Josh Inglis (58) and Mitchell Marsh (52), along with some powerful late hitting from Glenn Maxwell (31*), ensured Australia secured their first victory in the tournament.
This win has elevated Australia to eighth place in the World Cup standings, while Sri Lanka remains winless and faces a daunting task to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
Australia’s journey in Lucknow got off to a chaotic start, as Mitchell Marsh and David Warner made a brisk beginning. However, Dilshan Madushanka struck twice in the third over, removing both Warner (11) and Steve Smith with lbw decisions.
Nonetheless, Mitchell Marsh continued to attack, reaching his fifty off just 39 balls and maintaining a strong strike rate. He hit nine boundaries in the initial 12 overs before being run out for 52 in the 15th over.
Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne then built a valuable partnership of 77 runs, stabilizing Australia’s chase. After Labuschagne’s dismissal for 40 in the 29th over, Inglis was joined by Maxwell.
Maxwell’s aggressive batting injected momentum into Australia’s innings, propelling them towards a convincing win. However, Sri Lanka lost three crucial wickets in the mid-innings phase, with Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, and Sadeera Samarawickrama falling victim to Australia’s bowlers.
During Sri Lanka’s innings, Mitchell Starc initially managed to extract swing with the new ball, but it was a close call in the 21st over when Nissanka (61) pulled a Pat Cummins delivery towards mid-wicket. David Warner’s exceptional catch ended Nissanka’s innings.
Perera continued to push Sri Lanka’s attack forward, but Australia’s bowlers kept the pressure on.
Sri Lanka’s skipper, Mendis, won the toss and chose to bat, aiming for a total in the range of 280-300. They made changes to their XI, bringing in Chamika Karunaratne and Lahiru Kumara in place of Dasun Shanaka and Matheesha Pathirana. Australia fielded the same lineup from their previous match against South Africa.
Sri Lanka faced a setback with the injury to their skipper, Dasun Shanaka, which ruled him out of the tournament. Mendis took over the captaincy responsibilities.
Australia holds a head-to-head advantage over Sri Lanka, having won 63 out of 98 matches, while the Lions have proven to be competitive in Asia, with 18 wins apiece for both teams in the region.
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